Fall is such a comfy season, and the newly crisp air can push you towards ordering a Pumpkin Spice Latte now, more than ever before. You have heard it before though, while you take a sip of your caffeinated beverage, an adult comes over and claims that it will stunt your growth. You shrug it off with a laugh, but never really know for sure if they know what they are talking about or they are just mumbling off things they have heard before. After many studies, researchers finally come up with the answer.

We all know that Dunkin, and Starbucks in the morning can alter your grouchy mood and prepare you to take on your day. Snagging a quick coffee seems like such a harmless act, but it can easily slip into a hard-to-break habit. More teens than ever before are becoming regular coffee drinkers. According to the American Dietetic Association, when it comes to teenagers purchasing coffee in cafes or restaurants, numbers jumped by 12% from last year. Whether or not this new wave of coffee drinking is fueled by social image, some adults are worried about health factors for people under the age of 18.

A lot of people believe coffee stunts your growth. The problem with this idea is that most problems in height or structure occur before people start drinking coffee regularly. Many people forget that by the time we’re in our teens, most have almost reached their full height. A common myth is that drinking coffee gives you osteoporosis. Caffeine may increase your body’s elimination of calcium, which could contribute to osteoporosis, but coffee drinking and osteoporosis are not directly related.

Coffee gets a lot of heat for being bad for you, but in reality, what makes the beverage unhealthy is the excessive amounts of cream and sugar. Naturally coffee is low in calories, high in antioxidants, and it may reduce the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, liver cancer and Parkinson’s disease.

While coffee is mainly classified as an adult beverage, it has no worse effect on teen. In order to judge coffee equally, you must take in all factors of what teens would be drinking anyway. Though coffee is one step up from soda, it is important to recognize that it is still not as dangerous as energy drinks which many teenagers drink regularly.
About 29% of Holyoke High School students surveyed consume coffee almost every day before school. “I definitely don’t need to have coffee, but it helps me wake up in the morning,” Junior Rachel Hall shares. “I dunno, I just really like it.” “I feel mature when I drink it,” states Becca Plasse, also a Junior.

The bottom line is coffee does not stunt your growth. Your height is largely determined by your parents’ genetics along with the quality of your diet and overall health while growing. As long as you use your head and do not drink crazy amounts every single day of your life, you really do not have much to worry about. Drink on coffee sippers!